The social construction of the adoptive relationship Parental experiences of adopting older children abroad Anne-Marie Piché, s.w, m.s.w, Doctoral candidate McGill School of social work Professeure, École de Travail Social UQÀM Centre for research on children and families, November 17th 2010

Problem Creating a significant relationship with older adopted children How old? How complex= family building experience Transformation of adoption practices Exploring the emergence of the relationship with parental experience=process

Methodology Constructivist grounded theory approach (Charmaz, 2008) Method and sample Data collection process: evolutive and retrospective Exploring the evolution of parent-child relationship post- adoption from parents perceptions Analysis strategy Limits

4 "Toute une série de gestes qui sont faits pour créer lattachement, la sécurité, le confort de lenfant. (…) Nous on la intellectualisé parce que ce lien là on laura pas créé avec lenfant, ou il ne la pas quand il arrive parce quil est déjà a trois ans et demie. (…) Puis euh...toute la question de la psychologie de comment on crée lattachement, tout ça. Moi je parlais de lattachement à mes amis qui ont eu des enfants, bio, faits 'à la main' puis toute la patente, ben ils comprenaient rien de ça." Data collectionAdoptive Parents (12) Adopted Children (29) Interviews completedInterviews total Evolutive Group 5 mothers y. old 6 children (Boys) adoption) 3 X/post-adoption 2-6 months 5-11 months months T1= child is months old20 parental interviews Retrospective Group (2 yrs. post +) 2 mothers 1 father y. old 9 children (Girls) mo. adoption) 1X/ 2 years+ post- adoption T1= child is 30 mo.-6 yrs old Theoretical sampling Group 4 mothers y. old 14 children 6 mo-12 years adoption) 1-2 X/post-adoption 1 year after+ Countries of Origin: China-Haïti-Russia-Cambodia-Vietnam-Mexico Gender: 18 girls/ 10 boys total.

Analysing the adoptive experience in context Adoptive family building as a process in time: normality interrupted Renunciations and re-evaluations The active construction of a normal parent-child relationship- a labor of love.

6 "Toute une série de gestes qui sont faits pour créer lattachement, la sécurité, le confort de lenfant. (…) Nous on la intellectualisé parce que ce lien là on laura pas créé avec lenfant, ou il ne la pas quand il arrive parce quil est déjà a trois ans et demie. (…) Puis euh...toute la question de la psychologie de comment on crée lattachement, tout ça. Moi je parlais de lattachement à mes amis qui ont eu des enfants, bio, faits 'à la main' puis toute la patente, ben ils comprenaient rien de ça."

7 Transition period: the start of family life Creating mutual recognition Signs of normality, signs of trust: indicators of bonding. Self as parent; self as child therapist The importance of mutual recognition. Being idealized as 'exceptionnal parents.

8 "Jusqu'où on va : cest la question perpétuelle. (...) Où le soignant arrête, pour être le parent? (...) Je pensais que cétait indissociable." (Participante)

Social construction of the adoptive relationship Prescribing attachment Psychological value of children, parent-child relationships and early prevention. Impact of specialized knowledge over parental experience and meaning-making Implications for intervention and other resources Implications for research in adoption.

Towards a contextualised understanding of the adoptive relationship Applicability of attachment theory still a challenge with older children/high adversity/context of adoption Research: outcome and process Specialized knowledge: a hierarchy of credibility? Questioning biocentric or standardized views of the healthy parent-child relationship Recognition and support of differently formed bonds; adoptive families strengths.